In general I’d check out Soma electronics … plenty of sound design devices (Lyra is one of it).
Pulsar also nice!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=We27f50ThZU
Soma Ether
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While it is admirable to provide budget friendly options, I don’t think any serious sound designer should be without the GX-1 in their studio.
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Definitely depends on your idea of low cost - referencing behringer makes me think you mean cheap, rather than good value.
As an all-in-one box, based on your description, I’d highly recommend the Solar-42F - which is great value for what it is, but definitely not cheap. The Soma Terra is also an interesting option. Arturia Minifreak has potential as an option too and you can’t get much cheaper than that for what it is.
Honestly I think I’d take the VST recommendations. You will achieve endless potential in a DAW - download Supermassive, for free, and get a Studio license for Ableton Live, and for the cost of a single Elektron box you basically have everything you could ever need.
And you also have far more control than you will ever have with hardware - which is FUN, but opinionated, and limited - in ways which make it enjoyable to use, but arent condusive to intricate sound design.
I will stand by the K-2 as perhaps the best value synth that can be purchased new in 2025. I won’t dispute anyone who favors the B2600, but as an owner of many premium synths I’ve got to give credit to Uli’s fantastic work. While acknowledging that his marketing efforts could and did benefit from more care and thought.
(You aren’t wrong about software. I can’t comment on the Solar, but it is only to-buy list. OP has made it clear that they want to experiment with sound in the style of a cinematic sound designer rather than as a profession. And they are adamant they want to work OTB. I would bet at least €0.50 that they may have a different opinion on software when the earth next returns to its present position with respect to the Sun)
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is this the most expensive synth in the “budget synth advice” thread? 
I mean … I follow this rule: “Buy cheap, buy twice.” So, skip the cheap.
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What was that korg synth they made for gameboy DS? I think that’s probably going to be the apex of this topic.
the best value synth is any synth you learn in and out. Almost doesn’t matter which it is. For me … I wouldn’t touch that thing since it’s probably a really good clone … but the Behringer Logo (look) & feel would be just cheap and thus I wouldn’t use it probably. I would rather hunt for a cheap Digitone 1 instead if I hadn’t any synths at home.
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Are Behringer really that bad? I’ve never owned one and they seem such good value. But yes I’d rather avoid and spend more if it means avoiding cheap and cheerful.
I’ve already been sold on the GX-1 anyway. Gonna grab one dirt cheap tomorrow, some guy happened to have one for me, I’m meeting him tomorrow behind the Waterstones on the high street.
Been there done that. My current library of Sfx came from the insanely amazing app Zeon.
I’m going DAWless now though, and that includes iPads.
Sitting at a computer after working on a computer all day is the last thing I want to do, hence taking myself DAWless.
I’ve already created a ton of very usable Sfx using a £5 iOS app called Zeon. Believe me, it’s possible.
Someone else has suggested this on a previous thread I made about drum machines. This could be a really good option to be honest.
I already trust Elektron as a developer of bloody good hardware (I love my Digitone 1). Analog Four would be amazing.
What kind of sound effects have you made with it?
Why the obsession with DAWless if it’s for film sound design? Even if you get a cheap analogue synth for Lynch-y drones and texture, you are really limiting yourself if you can’t process, layer and arrange those sounds on a timeline synced to video
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Norns Shield
No price limit I’d say Prophet X & Tasty Chips GR MEGA combo
Some people think aged hippies should spend their time developing arthritis with the aid of a soldering iron. While I agree that hippies have a lot to answer for, that seems a bit too extreme to me.
Behringer build quality is fine, arguably better than Korg’s. It is nice to have a KARP 2600, but if I were to get a second one it would be a B2600.
Eagan Matrix Micro
https://www.hakenaudio.com/eaganmatrix-micro
Requires an MPE controller of some sort.
Yes, apologies, I should have been more specific. Many behringer Synths are both cheap and good value - I guess what I meant was that there are excellent options out there that I would consider good value, but that aren’t cheap.
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As a fellow computer drone I get it. That said you will often still be working with a computer, just a significantly more limited one 
I’d firmly stand by my first two recommendations though - I’ve owned the Solar 42F and although it has it’s quirks it’s an absolute powerhouse for creating analogue, cinematic scores. Check out my YouTube videos with it to get a taster. I couldn’t justify keeping it but I do miss it.
The problem with most other options is that one synth won’t be enough, and you’ll easily be at 2k point and still feeling limited.
Also consider ways to make DAWs feel less… DAW.
An Ableton Push with a studio license could be the best of both worlds. Maybe even a Maschine as a left-field option.
The thing with cinematic scores is that you either need a lot of hardware and expensive effects, or a very capable DAW. It’s a hard thing to achieve with a single budget synth, and even if you find one that meets your needs you’ll likely run it dry in a few tracks and be itching for something different.
Last weekend, when I was driving a rental Fiat 500c through the hills of Tuscany, I encountered a handful of Ferraris and Porsches. It astonished me that their owners would take them over such rough and narrow roads. They probably chuckled at my underpowered and rented vehicle. We probably all had the same amount of fun.
A lot of fun can be had if you are mindful of your budget, desires and capabilities. I think the K2 is an excellent value, but I’m not about to sell my Syntrx. Nor is it collecting dust.
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I honestly won’t buy Behringer anymore. It’s good stuff for sure. But I think it’s too cheap.
Also … the company was weird more than once. “Cork Sniffer” and their claim to donate when they didn’t until Ben Jordan made it public.
I have a moog clone here and well yeah. It’s cool and all. But it’s so cheap somehow… not only the price but the feel of it. So yes great if you have not experienced the original / other good built quality. But if you know… I prefer buying quality synths.
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